Outdoor swimming is great — but some of us are too soft to hack cold water, especially in winter. The freezing temperatures may get those endorphins flowing, but you don’t have to go the whole hardcore hog. These heated pools around the UK offer the best of both worlds: you can still enjoy swimming out in the elements, but without the need for a bobble hat.
1. Hampton Pool, London
As close as Hampton gets to Honolulu, this public lido in Bushy Park, southwest London is heated to about 27C and stays open all year. It’s a soothing way to centre the soul, as you can lap your heart out in the main 36m pool, or (if you’re a parent) sit and gently poach yourself in the children’s pool (heated to 31C). Stay just across the park at the elegant Mitre hotel.
Details Swimming slots £8.50 (hamptonpool.co.uk). B&B doubles from £187 (mitrehamptoncourt.com)
2. Jubilee Pool, Penzance, Cornwall
For the full outdoor immersion experience, few places beat this prow-shaped haven. Opened in 1935, Penzance’s much-loved lido was restored in 2017, with the main and learner pools joined in 2020 by a geothermal addition that is open year-round. Take a 30C dip in its seawater-filled depths before wandering five minutes up the hill for a stay at the Artist Residence hotel.
Details Swims (55 minutes) £5.30 for Penzance residents, £6.60 for those from the rest of Cornwall or £11.75 for everyone else (jubileepool.co.uk). Room-only doubles from £125 (artistresidence.co.uk)
3. Thames Lido, Reading, Berkshire
Reading’s Thames Lido opened in 2017 as a revamp of the town’s King’s Meadow baths. In addition to its 25m pool, there’s an outdoor hot tub, a Finnish sauna and a steam room. A Mediterranean-influenced restaurant and bar help visitors make a day of it, as does a menu of spa treatments, pairing swims with meals or massages. Stay in a centrally located grade II listed townhouse at the Roseate hotel.
Details Two-hour swim slots £25 for non-members, packages from £40 for a swim and breakfast (thameslido.com). B&B doubles from £120 (roseatehotels.com)
4. Schloss Roxburghe, Kelso, Scottish Borders
If the charms of southern Scotland have so far evaded you, it’s time to wake up, as this castle-packed region is hotting up for 2023. Last month a heated outdoor infinity pool opened at Schloss Roxburghe (try saying that after a few whiskies). Part of the resort’s extensive spa complex, the pool (complete with underwater sound system) is open to guests and non-guests, including access to the spa’s relaxation areas, a plunge pool and a Finnish sauna.
Details Four-hour day spa passes £70, with free entry to hotel guests. B&B doubles from £234 (schlosshotel-roxburghe.com)
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5. Thermae Bath Spa, Somerset
This spectacular heated, outdoor rooftop pool has become an established component of Bath’s manifold attractions, while the Cross Bath is a magical roofless pool on the ground floor of a neighbouring building that offers public and exclusive-use sessions. Stay within splashing distance at Hotel Indigo, where you can enjoy a post-swim bowl of Jerusalem artichoke velouté (and much more) at its restaurant, the Elder.
Details Two-hour “Thermae Welcome” visit to the spa (and its rooftop pool) from £38; 90-minute dip in the Cross Bath from £30 (thermaebathspa.com). B&B doubles from £147 (hotelindigo.com)
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6. St Brides Spa Hotel, Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire
To stew with a view, look no further than the clifftop hydrotherapy pool at St Brides Spa Hotel. Heated to about 34C and laced with salt, this pint-sized infinity pool is for soaking up the panoramic views of Saundersfoot Harbour and Carmarthen Bay. Hotel guests get 90 minutes’ access to the spa included in their daily room rate, but non-residents can buy a spa pass or book packages.
Details Non-resident day passes from £40. B&B doubles from £190 (stbridesspahotel.com)
7. Bristol Lido, Bristol
When Clifton Victoria Baths reopened as Bristol Lido in 2008, it offered a blueprint for how our neglected lidos might be reimagined. While there will always be a place for more affordable public pools, the costs associated with running them means there’s space in the conversation for other models too. This is one of the most successful: a 24m outdoor pool, heated to about 25C and available to members and non-members. There’s a restaurant, a bar and a spa too. Continue the pampering with a stay at the nearby boutique B&B, Number 38 Clifton.
Details Two-hour swimming slots £25 for non-members; £100 for a swim, massage and meal package (lidobristol.com). B&B doubles from £155 (number38clifton.com)
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